This should be able to be repurposed for hemiplegics if our fucking failures of stroke associations wanted to actually do something for survivors.
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2016/02/new-exoskeleton-suit-uc-berkeley-helps-paraplegics-walk?
By Greg Watry, Digital Reporter
It’s been an over a 10-year journey. In 2000, Univ. of California,
Berkeley Prof. Homayoon Kazerooni began working with a team to develop a
series of exoskeletons. The research was funded by the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Recently, SuitX, founded by Kazerooni and spun off from the
university’s Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory, unveiled the
Phoenix, a 27-lb exoskeleton that can help paraplegic users achieve a
walking speed of 1.1 mph.
“We can’t really fix their disease,” said
Kazerooni. “We can’t fix their injury. But what it would do is postpone
the secondary injuries due to sitting. It gives a better quality of
life.”
Adaptable to a users’ size, the Phoenix, on a single charge, can walk
for four hours continuously, or eight hours intermittently. The battery
is stored in a backpack carried by the user.
The exoskeleton is controlled by users via crutches, which are
outfitted with buttons, allowing the user to control standing up,
sitting down, and walking.
The Phoenix costs around $40,000. While that’s a hefty price tag,
it’s more affordable and lightweight than competitors like the ReWalk
suit, which costs around $70,000 and weighs 50 lbs, according to MIT Technology Review.
Kazerooni told the media outlet that one of the goals is to design a
Phoenix model for children, which may be able to assist in walking
training for those with neurological disorders.
“My injury came about from a BMX bicycle accident,” said Steven
Sanchez, one of the Phoenix’s test pilots, in a video. Sanchez’s fall
resulted in him breaking his back. He was paralyzed instantly.
“I feel much more with myself and human-like being in this device,
being able to stand up eye-to-eye with somebody,” Sanchez said in the
video, while footage of him kicking a soccer plays. “It’s strange that
this robot makes me feel more a part of this planet than a wheelchair
does.”
As the technology continues to advance and the price decreases, these
devices may one day be monetarily feasible options for paraplegics.
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